Comedies typically use certain codes and conventions. Settings are often crowded places like offices, schools, or public areas that allow characters to embarrass themselves or get into difficult situations, heightening humor. Characters are also important - they frequently play on stereotypes or pair dissimilar people together for jokes. Props are also commonly the focus of jokes, driving the humor. While styles vary between regions and generations, comedies generally aim to be lighthearted takes on the classic narrative structure of equilibrium, disruption, resolution, and return to equilibrium.